Speech by Cai Wu, minister of the State Council Information Office

Ladies, gentlemen and dear friends:

Good morning.

It is a great pleasure to meet you here again. Today I will make a brief introduction on what the State Council Information Office has done through 2007. I would also like to answer questions from you. Firstly, I'd like to wrap up our major tasks in 2007 and hope it will provide you with some valuable information.

First, we organized press conferences of the government departments and provided information services for both domestic and foreign media. To date, the State Council Information Office organized 72 press conferences for central and government departments. The central departments independently held a total of 547 press conferences, while the provincial governments (including governments of autonomous regions and municipalities) held over 789 press conferences. Those events made an overall introduction on the economic, political, cultural and social construction and responded quickly to the problems concerned by both the Chinese and foreign citizens.

Generally speaking, the press conferences held this year have the following features.

Firstly, those press conferences focused on issues highly concerned by Chinese citizens and the international society, such as energy conservation and emission reduction, people's livelihood, product quality and food safety. Secondly, all regions and departments made new progress in holding separate press conferences. The spokespersons from all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities as well as those from central departments held press conferences at fixed time and places more than they've ever done. Thirdly, the information distribution on the work of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has made new improvement. CPC departments such as the Leading Work Group of Financial and Economic Works of the CPC Central Committee, CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee and the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee were invited to hold press conferences in our office to brief the media with Party affairs. Moreover, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and our office jointly invited journalists from major news media to visit the executive supervision branch of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which was the first time that department was opened to journalist from foreign media. Fourthly, we strengthened training efforts on cultivating spokespersons from all regions and departments. We edited and published a Handbook on the Government News Release to further standardize and systemize the spokesperson system.

The second important thing we did this year was to compile and publish the white papers of the Chinese Government. This year, our office organized, compiled and published three government white papers on issues mostly concerned by international society. The first one was about the food safety issues in China , which introduced the general situation and the measures China has adopted to guarantee food safety. The second one was about the Chinese political party system, featuring the general situation on multi-party cooperation and political consultation system. The third one was about the Chinese energy situation and relevant policies. It stated our energy policy, which is to promote the domestic sustainable energy development in order to promote the sustainable international energy development. It answered questions raised by international society on our energy exploitation and utilization, and pointed out the positive efforts China has made in safeguarding world energy security.

The third task we did was to promote the communication and cooperation between Chinese and foreign news agencies as well as their executive departments. We invited over 40 government news officials and directors of major news agencies from 28 African countries to attend the Fourth Seminar for African Press Officials. The class enabled our African friends to get first-hand information on Chinese policy on Africa and helped them learn of the enormous changes taking place in China 's economic and social life since China launched the reform and opening up in 1978. We also held a number of media forums concerning China and Latin America, China and Africa, China and South Korea, China and Great Britain, China and Germany, as well as China and Japan. Through these activities, we have enhanced our friendship and deepened mutual understanding.

This year, we had received senior government press supervisory officials and executives of major media from the United States , Burma , South Korea , Pakistan , Uzbekistan , South Africa , Chad , Liberia , Albanian, and Burundi . We had signed memorandums of understanding with media supervisory departments from Russian and South Korean governments. We also extended communication and cooperation with news groups and agencies such as Association of Asian Studies from the United States , Italy & China Foundation, the Germany Bertelsman Foundation, the U.S. public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, the World Economic Forum, News Corporation and Time Warner Inc.

Fourth, we organized many Sino-foreign cultural exchange activities. We participated in the “Year of China” in Russia by setting up a Chinese news center in Moscow . In the Palais des Nations in Geneva , we held an activity called “A Journey of Art.” With related departments, we co-organized the Picture Show of Chinese Taiwan Issues ---“One China and Peaceful Development” in Berlin , Paris and Madrid ; staged the performances of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe in Norway , France , Swiss, Austria and Germany ; and organized the “Experience China in Mexico ” festival. We held the photo show “Chinese People's Life Through Camera” in Nepal, India, Austria, Italy, Egypt and Uzbekistan, presenting to the world the development and current situation of China in politics, economy, culture, education and society. We also cooperated with the Korean Ministry of Information and Communication in organizing the activity “Dynamic Korea” in Beijing .

Fifth, we promoted the development of the Internet and standardized the dissemination order of Internet information. The Internet has become much more popular, with the number of Chinese netizens soaring from nearly 700,000 in 1997 to 160 million as of June 2007, an increase of 220 times. Meanwhile, the number of websites had swelled from 1,500 to 1.3 million, an increase of more than 860 times. The striking expansion of netizens and websites reflects our government's effective efforts in promoting Internet development. We also strengthened administration of the Internet information dissemination according to international practice and common practices adopted by many other countries, which include administration through drafting and improving laws and regulations on Internet information administration; public monitoring by making the prosecuting center play its role; self-discipline by advocating civilized Internet surfing and websites to foster a civilized Internet atmosphere.

Finally, we improved our services for both domestic and foreign journalists. We have trained staff of news supervisory departments at all local governments on the Regulations on Reporting Activities in China by Foreign Journalists during the Beijing Olympic Games and the Preparatory Period, Regulations on Reporting Activities on the Chinese Mainland by Hong Kong/Macao Journalists During the Beijing Olympic Games and the Preparatory Period, and Regulations on Reporting Activities on the Chinese Mainland by Taiwan Journalists During the Beijing Olympic Games and the Preparatory Period. This is to ensure the overall implementation of the above regulations and promote the standards of receiving overseas journalists, so that we can provide higher quality services for press coverage overseas journalists to gather news in China .

As the outside world is paying great attention to the preparations of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, we compiled and published a series of books including China 2007, China Facts and Figures, China Questions and Answers, China's Peaceful Development, China National Situation Stories, Communist Party of China, China Journey, Modern China and Colorful China; two e-books: China Dictionary and Mini-Encyclopedia of China Sports; China Series foldouts, and CDs on Chinese Folk Music and Songs.

Through these books and audio and visual products, we have fully introduced China 's preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games.

We also cooperated with the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), producing the 13-episode TV series entitled Beijing : Are You Ready, broadcasted in the United States . We also worked with the U.S. Discovery Channel, co-producing the first episode of the Extraordinary Olympics, broadcasted in Australia . Both have received good reactions from the audience, showing that Chinese are enthusiastically expecting the coming of the Olympic Games.

With the help of related ministries, we launched a series of Olympic publicity activities in London , Paris , Sydney , New York , Berlin and Mexico . We also cooperated with the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and China Artists Association in holding the “One World-Exhibition of Chinese Artists' Painting Works about all UN Members,” spreading the concept of “Green Olympics, Technological Olympics and Humanistic Olympics” around the world.

In 2008, Beijing will host the Olympic Games and China will greet the 30th anniversary of its reform and opening-up policy. In the coming New Year, the State Council Information Office will face the world and the media with a more open attitude. We sincerely welcome friends and journalists all over the world to come to Beijing , watching the Olympic Games and reporting the games. We'll try our best to provide circumspect news services. I believe, with the joint efforts of domestic and foreign journalists and friends of all circles, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are sure to become a high-level sports feast, showing to the world a real China that is constantly embarked on the reform and opening-up policy, sticks to scientific outlook on development and makes steady progress in building a harmonious and moderately prosperous society.

Now, I'd like to answer your questions.